Toshiba projector tells you what to do
(Credit:
Toshiba)
Personally, I like strong and silent types when it comes to gadgets, but if you're attracted to chatty electronics, you might want to listen up. Toshiba has introduced what is says is the first projector with voice guidance.
The TLP-X200U wireless projector delivers audible messages about the system, including the on/off status, lamp life, air filter checks, and cooling fan status. This is aimed at making the product easy to use and helping users take good care of their machines so they can (hopefully) avoid maintenance updates.
The projector features wireless network capabilities, closed captioning, 3LCD technology, and a multiscreen function that lets users network up to four TLP-X200U projectors to create one large image or present up to two different screen images at once from one computer source. It boasts brightness of 3,000 ANSI lumens and can project at a distance up to almost 40 feet. It has video ports for 15-pin VGA, HDMI, and S-video.
It's a compact product, weighing 4.4 pounds and measuring less than 3 inches high. It comes with its own carrying case and can be stowed in a carry-on bag or airline overhead bin, where it hopefully will not be talking away while you're trying to take a nap.
The suggested retail price is $1,739.
Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie. 
